2020 Mazda CX-9 - All you need to know

The all-new family of Mazda CX-9 has made their presence felt in the Australian shores with several feature enhancements from its predecessors. It has all three essential checkboxes ticked- quality, performance, and style. The perfect blend of all three ingredients along with top-notch safety measures makes Mazda CX-9 an ideal seven-seater SUV in which you would drive back home.

Variants and Price

The Mazda CX-9 is available in four trims- Sport, Touring, GT and Azami. The sport variant being the entry-level SUV, while the Azami is the top-end variant. All three variants have almost similar features with minor tweaks here and there. But Azami justifies the top end tag with a better engine setup and enhanced alloy wheels.  

Is Mazda CX-9 2020 expensive? 

Each of the variants is priced quite justifiably according to its features. So determining CX-9 is expensive cannot be answered in a simple yes or no. There are a lot of factors that are needed to be taken into account. However, all four variants are affordable in their own rights. Here is a look at the Mazda CX-9 price list:

Variant	Price	Variant	Price
Sport FWD	$45,990	Sport AWD	$50,490
Touring FWD	$52,740	Touring AWD	$56,740
GT FWD	$61,990	GT AWD	$65,990
Azami FWD	$66,485	Azami AWD	$70,485

Engine specifications

It might come off as a surprise to many that the Japenese has abstained from including a diesel-based engine in the 2020 CX-9 family. There has been a lot said and written about it. But the 2.5-litre turbocharged engine does no harm to its reputation. On the contrary, people have welcomed the move of including a petrol led engine mated with a six-speed automatic gearbox. The rides are still smoother, the power quotient is still intact irrespective of the terrain. Clearly, there is nothing really in the engine section, which dents the class and repute of this SUV.

Engine	2.5-litre in-line 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC S-VT petrol turbo engine with i-stop and i-ELOOP
Power	170 kW @5,400 rpm
Torque	420 Nm @2,000 rpm
Transmission	Automatic

Exterior

It does not require an expert to describe the sheer brilliance of the exteriors governed by Kodo design philosophy. The LED lights both at the front and the back enhance the look of the four-wheeler, which is accentuated with the grille and the chrome that runs through the front region. While the positioning of the LED lights is quite similar across variant, thus giving it a standard look.  However, the top-end gives you the value for money with adaptive fog lights, that behave according to the external conditions. Have a look at Mazda CX-9 dimensions:

Length	5075 mm
Ground Clearance	220 mm (laden)/ 222 mm (unladen)
Width	1969 mm
Height	1747 mm
Wheel Base	2,930 mm

Interior

The interior section of the Mazda CX-9 is an ideal mix of style, space, comfort, and utility. Now, the style aspect of the interior is made more visible with the smooth Nappa finish seats and the quality materials that are chosen for the overall cabin section, which looks good and feels smooth.  The front dash and the steering wheel also has a quality finish. The steering wheel is laden with some important tools like cruise control. The instrument panels are arranged quite neatly, and there is a large 9.0-inch multimedia screen along with other subtle yet important utility additions like USB ports. Most importantly, the three-row SUV doesn’t compromise on the boot space to set the exteriors a class apart. The legroom is also of around 6-inch in the second and third rows, so that you can sit comfortably without squeezing your legs.

Safety features

The safety features of all variants lie with the G-Vectoring Control Plus abbreviated as GVC plus. It provides greater control and stability during corner movements. This mechanism of brake control is applied quite thoughtfully to lends strength to the safety section. Besides, all the variant includes something called off-road traction assist system, which makes driving in rough terrain a cakewalk. 

Competition picks

The seven-seater SUV, 2020 Mazda CX-9 faces stiff competition form the likes of Kia Sorento, Toyota Highlander. But one SUV that really tests the water of CX-9 is Toyota Kluger. 

Which is better Toyota Kluger or Mazda CX-9?

Just to set the context, the figure of power and torque of Kluger reads 218 kW/350 Nm, while the same for CX-19 is  170 kW/420 Nm. It is really a close call, but with added features likes GVC plus, CX-9 just edges over Kluger. Also, there is no price war between the two, it would be safe to say that they fall in the same price bracket. 

Summing up

All in all, the Japanese carmaker has put an evolved foot forward in the seven-seater SUV segment. Every aspect right from the style to performance to safety is on point. The only thing you will need to consider is which variant suits your requirements. The engine setup is the same, it is about adaptive fog light and the alloy wheel setup, that can help you to decide whether you want to spend extra or not.    

Also read: Mazda CX-5 - 5 things we like